Rapattack @ Carnival 2026

Carnival - the facts

London's Notting Hill Carnival is Europe's biggest and spectacular street arts festival which has been held each August Bank Holiday since 1965. This holiday always falls on the last weekend of August, attracting 2 to 2.5 million people with Sunday and Monday being the major Carnival days.

Tap here for the After Carnival Report

Figures from the Greater London Authority at the turn of the century (interim report 2001) confirmed that the specialist DJ based sound systems provide the biggest attraction to Carnival attendances. They have since continued to do so exponentially over the last few decades, making sound systems the key element in attracting audiences.  Originally back in 1965 this event started out as an affair for the Afro Caribbean community and has now developed into what can be described as a truly successful multicultural event. It is the most colourful, happy, joyous and definitely the most spectacular event in the British calendar. In Carnival terms is second only to Rio. It's fantastic, it's vibrant, it's full of life, it's for everyone and it's FREE!

Participant’s Profile
40% of visitors are women
75% of visitors are under 45 years old
70% of visitors are white
30% of visitors are Black and Minority Ethnic (BME)
60% come from the Greater London Area
20% come from outside the UK
20% come from outside London


Rapattack is the premier and largest sound system at Carnival, with highly skilled members who feed into operational issues, liaising with the local authorities, Metropolitan Police, the Greater London Authority amongst other stake holders and we are currently chairing ECCA (Executive Committee of Carnival Arts) which is a major part of the operational body that organises the entire Carnival event as a whole.